Emergency teams ready to tackle festive disasters

Vicki Newman

SOUTH Tyneside tenants can rest easy this Christmas knowing that staff are on stand-by to deal with any unforeseen emergencies.

A host of council workers will be proving that the show must go on during the festive period.

One of those on call this Christmas Day is electrician Jamie Russell who is one of around 60 members of staff in the Property Services team at South Tyneside Homes who will be on call over the Christmas break.

The team could find themselves dealing with any number of tenants’ problems, ranging from a broken down heating system to a lack of power or to a fence which has blown down.

The team will also deal with any unforeseen issues in public buildings.

Jamie said: “Last year my three-year-old son had just unwrapped his first present when I got the first call of the day.

“I have two young children so Christmas is a very special time but it’s clearly important to have people available to deal with any emergencies and make sure people are safe.”

He added: “It has to be comforting for tenants to know that if their lights suddenly go off or they have an interruption to their power supply on Christmas morning, help is just a phone call away and we’ll be there to sort it out.

“Being on call on Christmas Day is just part of the job. I’m not working on Boxing Day this year so we may well have our Christmas dinner on that day instead.”

Coun Ed Malcolm, lead member for resources and innovation and chair of South Tyneside Homes Board, added: “Making sure we have staff on hand to cope with any unforeseen issue is a key priority for the council and South Tyneside Homes.

“I would like to thank our staff who provide a professional service at this special time of year to make sure the South Tyneside community can continue to receive the help and support they need.”